Waking Up
by Clare Hope
Summary: Five of the rare times that Ianto woke up before Jack, and one time that Jack woke up before Ianto. (Written for the anniversary of CoE but I swear it's not mostly angst there are fluffy and funny bits too. That being said, LET US ALSO MOURN WITH SADNESS.)
1. Chapter 1

Ianto woke with a start. The alarm clock was going off. The alarm clock never went off. Jack was always awake to turn it off before 6:30, because he knew that Ianto didn't like the irritating beeping. "Jack…"

The captain was still asleep, his face buried in his pillow. Ianto sighed. He was going to have to climb over Jack to turn the alarm off, wasn't he? So he flopped himself across Jack's back, stretching to reach the button on the clock.

There. The incessant noise was ceased. Ianto squirmed back over to his side, propping himself up on his elbow to look at Jack. Pale golden light filtered in through the closed shades of the window in Ianto's flat, alighting on the captain's hair and making him appear nearly blond. Ianto winced at the thought. That, he did not want to see.

And...Jack was still asleep. That was odd. Ianto nudged him in the ribs gently. "Jack? It's time to get up."

"Mmmmmm," Jack muttered, his voice muffled. "No, i'th no'."

Even accounting for the distortion of sound caused by the pillow in front of his face, voice sounded a bit odd. Ianto frowned. "Jack."

"What?" he grunted.

"It really is time to get up."

Jack turned his head so he was facing Ianto. His expression was the picture of misery.

"What's wrong?" Ianto asked, concerned.

"'m tired." He struggled to sit up, then sneezed.

"Bless you," Ianto said automatically.

Jack stuck out his bottom lip, pouting. "I don't feel good," he mumbled. As if to prove his point, he began to cough.

Now Ianto really was on alert. Jack never got sick. And he certainly didn't complain about it. Plus, he sounded like his nose was all stuffed up and he was having trouble breathing. "Sit up all the way, it'll help," Ianto advised. Jack straightened up a bit, still coughing. Ianto sat up, too. When Jack stopped coughing and looked up at Ianto, his eyes were slightly glassy and unfocused. Ianto immediately reached out to check his forehead for a fever, but Jack ducked away. "Stop that," Ianto reprimanded, his tone firm. Jack sat still immediately. It was best to do as Ianto said when he was using that voice.

"'m fine," Jack couldn't help saying.

But Ianto was shaking his head. "You don't have a fever, but you aren't fine, Captain Jack Harkness. Even though this is probably just a cold, we should keep an eye on it. You never get sick."

Jack groaned. "...be okay, just need some coffee."

Ianto raised his eyebrows. "Tea. With honey would be best, judging by the sound of your voice."

"What'h wrong with my voice, Iantho?"

Jack's voice was so obviously affected by a congested nose that Ianto could barely contain a smile at his protests. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"Said 'what'h wrong with my voice, Iantho?'" Jack repeated, glaring suspiciously.

"One more time?" Ianto teased.

Jack realized that Ianto was just messing with him to prove his point. "Shu' up, Iantho," he muttered.

Ianto laughed. "Only if you let me bring you a cup of tea," the young man compromised.

"Ath the Hub?"

Ianto sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Jack, I doubt you should go into work today."

Jack's look said it all. On this one point, Ianto was not going to get his way.

"Fine," Ianto conceded. "We go to work. Get dressed. But I'm making you a cup of tea to take with."

Ianto got out of bed before Jack could protest again. He padded over to the kitchen on bare feet, and made the tea. He hesitated before drizzling a bit of honey in; Jack didn't like either his tea or his coffee sweetened at all. But in this case, it was probably best. In the honey went.

"Here you go, Jack," Ianto told him cheerfully as he walked back into the bedroom. Jack had dressed and already even had his coat on as if to indicate I'm going to work and you can't do anything about it. "Right. Drink this while I get dressed. There's another cup in the kitchen."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jack took the mug and took a sip. He made a face. "It's too sweet," he complained.

"Deal with it," Ianto retorted, buttoning his shirt and slipping on his suit vest. "Red tie or-"

"Red tie," Jack replied before Ianto even finished his sentence.

"Right." Had Ianto even had to ask?

* * *

 _I wrote this some time ago, and decided to turn it into a 5 times 1 time story, and then decided it would be perfect for a CoE anniversary fic. So, 6 chapters, one today and one a day for the next five days. Partially pure fluff, partially angst, not really anything to do with CoE yet. Written more as a memorial than anything else. Let me know what you think? Or wait until it's all up. Up to you, but please review! (Look I rhymed!)_

 _~Clare_


	2. Chapter 2

Sunlight can be irritating sometimes, Ianto thought as said sunlight streamed in through the open window. See, this was the problem with having a flat on the second story of the building facing east. He shifted slightly, which woke Jack, who was lying very close.

"Good morning, Ianto Jones," the captain said.

"Morning," Ianto agreed. He stretched, which pulled the edge of his pajama shirt up a couple inches over his stomach. Jack poked him in the ribs, and Ianto let out a slightly undignified squeak, recoiling.

Jack laughed at his reaction. Ianto glared, sitting up and pulling his shirt back down. "What's wrong?" Jack teased.

"Nothing," Ianto muttered in response. He was about to get out of bed when Jack reached out and pulled him back, holding him tightly against his chest. Ianto sighed, not really pulling away, and said, "Jack, we've got to go to work."

"Have we now?" Jack asked. He pressed his lips to the back of Ianto's head.

"Yes." Ianto tried to untangle himself from Jack's hold, but Jack was having none of it. He poked Ianto's side again gently. Ianto yelped once more and tried to squirm away.

Jack continued to brush his fingers over Ianto's side. He thought he might have discovered something, and he wasn't going to let this go until he had Ianto laughing.

"Jack!" Ianto protested, thinly veiled laughter bursting out of that one syllable.

"Hmm?" responded Jack innocently. He slipped his hand under the front of Ianto's shirt, tickling softly. The young man burst out giggling and tried yet again to pull away.

Jack quickly pounced on this newfound fun. "Why're you laughing, Ianto?" he asked, pretending to be confused.

"Y-you know...exactly wh-why!"

Jack laughed delightedly. "I can't believe it took me so long to figure out you were this ticklish!"

"And...you...wonder...why I...didn't...tell you!" Ianto retorted.

"Sarcasm will get you nowhere," Jack warned. He squeezed Ianto's side just above his hip, and the young Welshman squeaked again, trying to curl up to protect his sensitive tummy. Grinning, Jack sat up. He stopped tickling for a second to let Ianto breathe, but as soon as Ianto had caught his breath, he started again.

"Mean!" gasped Ianto.

"But I like hearing you laugh," Jack told him honestly.

"Find some other way to get me to laugh!"

"But this is too fun!"

"I...hate...you!" Ianto giggled, trying and failing to sound menacing.

"No, you don't!" teased Jack.

Ianto was getting red in the face. Jack paused again as his laughter became silent, indicating that he couldn't breathe. "Jack, let me up!" he burst out as soon as he had gasped in a breath of air.

"Nope," answered Jack. He started dancing his fingers over Ianto's belly again, and Ianto collapsed into hysterical laughter. Jack was way too skilled at this.

After a few more minutes, Jack finally relented, letting Ianto sit up. Ianto scrambled out of bed, indignant, but he couldn't hold back a little bit of a smile. Jack's eyes sparkled with amusement and happiness. There hadn't been enough laughter in their life lately.

* * *

 _I have no excuse for how fluffy this was, but I hope it was enjoyable to read! Happy Day Two, everybody. Tomorrow's when everything goes to hell._

 _~Clare_


	3. Chapter 3

A stifled whimper stole through the night, and Ianto became aware that he was no longer asleep. The covers were halfway thrown off and tangled. Next to him, Jack let out another whimper, tossing and turning. Nightmare, then. "Jack," Ianto whispered. "Are you okay?" He touched Jack's arm gently.

Jack awoke with a start and a cry, pushing himself into a sitting position.

"It's okay, it was just a bad dream, you're not there anymore," Ianto comforted.

Jack focused on Ianto, groaned and let himself fall back down onto the bed. "Sorry."

"That's fine," Ianto let him know. "I understand, it's no bother." Jack reached for his hand, and Ianto pulled him close. Jack was shaking. "What was it?" he asked softly.

"The War."

"Which one?"

"The Great War. World War One," Jack clarified, snuggling up to Ianto, his trembling slowing. "The trenches on the Western Front. Being gassed. Warfare changed forever then, you know? There was new technology but still the old mentality of 'kill as many as possible in as short of time as possible' but with so many more ways to kill. And of course I was the only one of my friends to make it."

"I'm so sorry," was the only thing Ianto could think of to say.

"They called it the War to End All Wars," Jack went on. "That always made me so angry, but I couldn't say that it wasn't going to be true because everyone believed it. Everyone-" His voice broke. "Everyone believed it. And then it started all over again, only worse. And it's all still happening, and the fighting never ever stops, and I'm always going to be part of it because it's always going to be the one thing I can do, fight and die and kill. I already have more blood on my hands than almost any human in existence, Ianto, and I-" He stopped talking abruptly.

"Okay," Ianto murmured. "Just slow down. I've got you."

Jack sighed. "I know you have." He shivered. Ianto sat up to pull the covers back over them both. The warmth was appreciated by both of them. Jack buried his face in Ianto's shoulder. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Ianto whispered in response. "Don't worry about it. Any of it. Everything's going to be okay." He ran his fingers through Jack's hair slowly as the captain relaxed. Ianto found himself drifting off again. In that dark, half-awake state where a sort of simultaneous awareness and unawareness lurked, Ianto felt the sudden sensation of free-falling through space. His eyes snapped open with a slight jerk of his whole body and he reached out as if to catch himself.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked immediately, grabbing his hand.

Breathing shakily, Ianto shook his head. "Nothing. Just...ever been half asleep and just felt like you were falling?"

"Yes."

"That."

Jack slipped his arms underneath Ianto and tugged him so the younger man was lying mostly on top of him. The captain's hands were clasped tightly across Ianto's chest. "Caught you," he murmured. "You're not falling anymore."

"No, I'm not," agreed Ianto.

"You okay now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ianto flipped over and kissed him softly. "Thanks."

"Anytime," Jack echoed. Ianto wriggled so that he wasn't quite on top of Jack anymore. As reassuring as it had been to have Jack "catch" him, it wasn't every comfortable.

"I don't think I'm going to fall asleep again," Ianto whispered.

"Me neither."

"Should we just get up?" suggested Ianto.

Jack pressed himself closer to Ianto. "Nah. Can't we just stay like this until morning?"

Ianto smiled, snuggling closer too. "That sounds perfect."

They were quiet and completely aware of every second that passed. The time before morning was a small eternity.

* * *

 _And I wish that they had eternity between tonight and tomorrow, too. Sigh...why do fictional characters always have to break my heart? Thanks for reading!_

 _~Clare_


	4. Chapter 4

"See, this is what happens when you insist on going Weevil hunting at eleven at night!" Ianto reprimanded.

Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, Jack made an annoyed gesture with the other. "I was bored and I couldn't sleep. You didn't have to come with me."

Ianto laughed angrily. "Oh, I certainly did."

"Well, anyway, we can't change that now-"

"We!" protested Ianto.

"All right, I can't change that now."

"No, nor can you change the fact that we drove two hours away for a Weevil sighting that turned out to be a stray dog, and then you took a wrong turn because, let me emphasize, you're overtired and it is nearly midnight," the young man continued. "And I'm becoming increasingly worried for our safety, because you are a terrible driver, and the later it gets, the more reckless you get."

Jack huffed. "You were the one who let me take the wrong turn."

Ianto widened his eyes in disbelief. "I'm sorry, would you like to say that again and have neither caffeinated coffee nor sex for a week?"

Wisely, Jack shut up. Well...for a minute, at least. "All I'm saying is, the sighting was of legitimate concern for us."

Ianto came back immediately with, "No, it wasn't, it was spotted by a drunk who claimed to have seen a, and I quote precisely, 'brown monster thing with tooths who ran really fast and it was tall'. And besides the frankly terrible and extremely irritating grammar which I hate to have to replicate for the sake of accuracy, that statement did not describe a Weevil in any accuracy. And I just said accuracy twice in one sentence," he added off-handedly. "That's a fir-"

"Tall! What kind of stray dog gets described as 'tall'?" Jack interrupted.

"Obviously, a large one seen by a drunk who can't even speak English properly, let alone accurately describe what he saw," retorted Ianto.

"Is his grammar really the issue here?"

"Not the main one, no."

"Then why do you keep going off at it?"

"Because it bothers me that people can live for years and years speaking English and they still don't know that the plural of 'tooth' is 'teeth' not 'tooths'."

"Well, English is a pretty difficult language," Jack remarked.

"That isn't the point!"

"Well, what is? Because you're not getting to it!" Jack snapped.

Ianto tried to calm down. "Jack, we're still over an hour from the Hub. Probably more. Personally, I don't want to be out on the roads this late at night, especially when we're obviously tired and definitely not when we're arguing. We don't know exactly where we are or how to get home, and I think it might be best if we stopped somewhere for the night."

Jack frowned. "Huh?"

"Just, pull over somewhere we can stay until morning," Ianto suggested reasonably. "Please, Jack."

"Fine," Jack conceded grudgingly. As soon as he could, he pulled the SUV over to an empty parking lot and switched on the perception filter that they hardly ever had cause to use. "And that way we won't get in trouble for 'overnight parking'."

"Wonderful," Ianto replied dryly. He kicked off his shoes and tucked his feet up onto the seat, leaning the side of his face against the window.

"Ianto…?" Jack started.

"What."

"Since we're here...and we're not going anywhere anytime soon…"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Please."

"No!"

"Aww."

"Still angry," Ianto reminded.

"Why are you still mad? I don't understand. I stopped the car, didn't I?"

"Three guesses."

"I'm sorry."

"What?" Ianto turned to face Jack. The captain was looking back with an expression that was a mix of contrition and victory.

"The problem was I didn't apologize, wasn't it? Well. I'm sorry I dragged you out in the middle of the night on a wild non-Weevil chase. I really am. Right first guess?"

"Apology accepted. And I'm sorry I snapped. Was more irritated at the man's grammar than his inaccuracy, anyway," Ianto explained. "Or than I was at you."

Jack smiled. "Apology accepted." He waited for a second. "Now-"

"No!" Ianto couldn't help laughing. "Jack. When I said we were tired and should stop for the night, I actually meant we need to sleep."

"Fine…" Jack sighed. He pressed a couple of buttons on the steering wheel, and suddenly the back of the front bench seat began to recline.

"Whoa. I did not know it did that," Ianto exclaimed, taken by surprise and leaning back with it.

"You drove it into the ocean a couple weeks ago, and you're surprised that the seats go back?" the captain said incredulously.

Ianto was already curling up tightly on the newly formed, completely horizontal bed. "Shut up," he murmured sleepily, but not without fondness.

"Mmkay." Jack, too, lay down. The surface was too small to stretch out on, and he was forced to curl up like Ianto. Hmm. This wasn't very comfortable. How did Ianto do it? Was he some sort of cat?

As if he had read his mind, Ianto whispered, "It helps if you're not lying on the side that your gun is strapped to."

"Oh," Jack said sheepishly. He pulled the gun out of its holster and placed it on the floor of the car, right underneath the steering wheel. That was a lot more comfortable. He reached for Ianto's hand, and the young man took it. "Can we at least…"

Ianto shifted towards him and closed Jack's mouth with a kiss. "That?" he breathed.

"Exactly." Jack put his arm underneath Ianto's shoulder, pulling him closer so he could tug the edge of his coat over the Welshman. "Bit of a blanket, at least. Warm enough?"

"Quite. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ianto Jones."

Ianto soon fell asleep. Jack didn't. Instead, he waited until he was sure Ianto was sound asleep, put the back of his half of the seat back up, and drove them the hour it took to get back home. He carried the sleeping Ianto into the Hub, placed him gently onto their bed, and then climbed into bed himself after flinging his coat onto the back of his desk chair. He was tired, Ianto had been right. And the cool sheets felt so nice…

It took Ianto a minute to figure out what was bothering him when morning came and he awoke. After lying quite still for a little while, trying to remember the previous night through the haze of sleep, he sat bolt upright. "Jack, what the hell?!"

Jack gave a start, blinking awake. "Wha's goin' on?"

Ianto gave him a puzzled glare. "How'd we get here? We were in the SUV."

"You must've been dreaming," Jack muttered, closing his eyes again.

"Pretty sure I wasn't. Jack Harkness, did you carry me into the Hub like I was a child?" Ianto demanded.

"Absolutely not," Jack told him, a tiny, teasing smile creeping onto his face. "Where'd you get an idea like that?"

Ianto rolled his eyes, letting himself fall back down onto the bed. "Why am I not surprised that you didn't listen to me and didn't just stay there?"

"Because you know me far too well," Jack answered smoothly.

"You know what else I know?"

"What?"

"You left your revolver in the car."

"Oh...damn it. You're right."

"Of course I am."

"No, seriously, how'd you guess that?"

Ianto laughed. "Because you were carrying me."

"True enough. Ianto Jones, you are a right Sherlock Holmes when you want to be."

"Excuse me, I'm as brilliant as he is all of the time," Ianto retorted

"Of course you are."

"Are you just saying that to humour me?"

"Absolutely not." Jack kissed him quickly. But Ianto didn't let him pull away, not for a few minutes at least. "What was that for? I'm not complaining, but…"

"Not many people would do that. Drive their lover home, carry them inside. That's what that was for." Ianto kissed him again. "That was a good morning."

"Good morning."

"It ought to be...didn't you tell Gwen not to come in today?"

Jack grinned. "That's right...I did."

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed this! Please excuse me while I go cry in a corner. 3 you all_

 _~Clare_


	5. Chapter 5

A chilly ocean wind blew over Ianto's face. He shivered and blinked. It took him a couple seconds to recall where he was and what he was doing there. On the top of an abandoned building overlooking the Irish Sea was, for some reason, where he and Jack had spent the night. Or, well, where he had spent the night. Because Ianto dimly recalled that as he had been falling asleep, Jack had tucked his own coat around Ianto and crept off.

Keeping the coat wrapped tightly around himself, Ianto sat up. He looked around. Jack must have returned sometime during the night, because there he was. Looking rather small without his coat, the captain had curled up a few feet away from Ianto and was sleeping soundly. On the other side of Ianto sat a stack of his clothing, neatly folded. Jack must have done that, too, because Ianto certainly hadn't.

Ianto decided not to wake Jack just yet and dressed, shivering at the cold morning air. Then he went over to Jack and placed the coat on top of him. He leaned over to kiss Jack on the cheek.

Jack's eyes opened. "Morning," he murmured.

"You smell like smoke," Ianto responded.

Jack groaned. "I know."

"Were you burning down that church?"

Jack nodded.

"Smart."

"Generally." Jack smirked as he sat up slowly. "Home?"

Ianto took his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Roofs are nice, but a bit chilly. Home."

Jack laughed. "Cold, Ianto?"

The young man shrugged. "A bit. We are right next to the ocean, and you might be able to protect me from the scary sea monsters, but not from the sub-zero wind chill."

Jack hadn't actually put on his coat fully, and slipped it off and onto Ianto's shoulders smoothly. "Can't I?" he remarked. Ianto smiled at him, pulling the coat tight around himself. Jack slipped his arm around Ianto's waist, and led him over to the door that led down from the roof into the stairwell that extended downwards onto the lowest floor of the building.

Together, they made their way through the waking city of Cardiff and back to the Hub. It was just before 6:30 when they arrived. Ianto immediately went over to make coffee and Jack headed over to his office. They didn't even need to talk to each other again before Gwen arrived, and even then, they mostly discussed work and the strange, strange events of the previous day. But whenever they caught each other's eye, they spoke silently, saying things they would never say out loud. Gwen would remain completely oblivious, as usual. But the conversations were there all the same.

* * *

 _This is set the morning after The Sin Eaters, an audiobook read by Gareth David-Lloyd, which, by the way, highly recommend. Hope you liked it! Please review?_

 _~Clare_


	6. Chapter 6

Captain Jack Harkness stumbled over the corner of a desk and caught himself wearily. "Sh**," he muttered angrily as the edge of the desk dug painfully into his palm.

Ianto looked up from the stack of papers through which he was reading. "Jack?"

"I'm fine." Jack disproved his point by nearly tripping over a wire on the floor.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" he snapped.

"You haven't slept in days," Ianto pointed out. "Maybe you should get some rest."

Jack glared. "I don't need rest."

Ianto stood up and went over to him. "Yes, you do," he murmured patiently. "You just pretend not to because you're you."

"I was in a bloody coma for almost a day last week. That's rest," Jack retorted.

"Jack," Ianto said firmly. "I know that you want to figure out more about the whole phones thing, that's what I'm trying to do as well, but you won't be able to if you die from exhaustion."

"Well, if that happens, that'll be enough rest, too. Been there, done that," he added in a mutter. "It's quite effective."

"Ja-ack," Ianto pleaded. "Please. You always go off at me for not eating or sleeping enough. Well, it's my turn now. It's almost midnight, and we both need some sleep. Come with me."

"No, I'm fine!" shouted Jack sharply. He turned and stalked away, leaving Ianto standing frustrated next to the desk that used to belong to Toshiko Sato.

Jack was heading to his office, Ianto knew. He waited for a minute before quietly going after him. The captain sat on the edge of his bed, his head resting on his hands. His coat had been flung off and was draped on the back of his chair. The lights had been turned off. Ianto sat down next to him.

"Sorry," Jack muttered. "You're right."

"I know I am," answered Ianto gently.

"I'm just so tired."

"Yep." Ianto put his arm around Jack's waist and squeezed softly. "Come here." He lifted his hand to Jack's face and kissed him. Jack's hand was at the back of Ianto's head, and that was how they stayed for several minutes. Then, Ianto moved back so he was sitting against the wall, and made Jack lie down so his head was in Ianto's lap. Ianto began to stroke his hair gently, and Jack closed his eyes.

Jack really must have been tired, because he fell asleep almost instantly. His breathing slowed, and he unconsciously shifted his head so it was pressing against Ianto's hand like a cat craving attention. Ianto smiled and continued to run his fingers through the captain's hair. "Looks like we really did need some sleep, hey?" he asked quietly. As if in answer, Jack sighed in his sleep. "That's right. You just stay like this 'til morning," Ianto murmured. "I certainly will."

Morning saw them both still asleep, however. When Gwen came in to work, she was a bit concerned at how quiet and empty the Hub seemed to be. She crept quietly over to Jack's office and poked her head in. The sight warmed her heart; Ianto's hand still rested on Jack's head, but he had slumped over sometime in the night so he was leaning into the corner. Gwen smiled and pulled out her phone to take a quick picture. Then she tiptoed out, not wanting to wake either man up, but she heard Ianto whisper, "Morning, Gwen."

She turned back around sheepishly. "Didn't mean to wake you," she whispered back. "Sorry, love. Good morning."

"It's fine," Ianto assured her. "Actually, thank you. I probably should have set an alarm or something, but…" He looked down at Jack. "He really needed to sleep. I don't think he had since the phone line incident."

Gwen walked over to them. "May I?" she asked, indicating the edge of the bed.

"Of course," replied Ianto, and Gwen sat down carefully. The slight movement did not cause Jack to wake.

"He hasn't slept for a week?" Gwen checked.

"He does that," Ianto said simply. "Stops sleeping for a week or two, barely eats. And then he collapses, or makes a stupid decision like going Weevil hunting alone and gets himself killed. Or he just crashes. That's what happened last night."

Gwen was quiet for a moment. "Is he okay?" she asked quietly. There was a lot hidden in that simple question.

"I don't think so." Ianto smoothed Jack's hair down, but still the captain did not wake. "I don't think he's really been okay for a very long time."

"That's why we're here, isn't it?"

That gave Ianto pause for thought. "No," he finally answered. "I think we generally make it worse. Because we're a constant reminder that he'll eventually lose us. Sooner, rather than later, but the time doesn't really matter. Not when he's got forever."

Not for the first time, Gwen was a little surprised at how deep the young Welshman really ran. "But you don't think he'd rather not love anyone, ever, do you?"

"No. But that's a curse for all humans. Well, a lot of other species, too, I'd think. Because no matter what, we're going to lose people we love. And it becomes a struggle between loving and losing, and not loving at all. Most of us choose the former. It's harder for him, though." Ianto sighed. "And he'd probably kill us himself if he heard us talking about him like this."

"Yeah," Gwen agreed. She tried to smile at him.

Actually, Jack had been awake to hear their entire conversation. He had awoken before Gwen came in, in fact. He hadn't moved because he didn't want to wake Ianto, and then, well. To hear the last two members of his team talking like that...he didn't know exactly how it made him feel. But he wasn't angry, like they thought he would be. That wasn't it.

But rather than let them know he had overheard their conversation, Jack chose this moment to pretend to wake up. He shifted slightly, then opened his eyes slowly. Faking surprise when he saw Gwen, he sat up and said, "What're you doing here, Gwen?"

"Came in for work," Gwen said cheerfully.

Jack made a confused face. "What time is it?"

"Nearly seven," Ianto told him apologetically. "I thought I'd just let you sleep."

Jack had to restrain himself from saying, "No, you overslept, too." But he didn't. "Oh. Okay."

"Work, then?" Gwen suggested.

"Yep. Sounds good," Ianto replied quickly.

"Sure."

Gwen sprang up and left the office. Once she had gone, Ianto turned to Jack. "I know that you weren't asleep," he stated.

Damn it. "Wasn't I?"

"No, you weren't. Don't pretend."

Right. Pretense aside, Jack said seriously, "Does that mean what you said, you were saying deliberately to me as well as Gwen?"

"It does," Ianto told him.

"Okay…"

"Are you going to say something about it?" Ianto asked timidly.

"Ianto...I'm not angry about any of what you said. You or Gwen. Really," he added when Ianto looked unsure. "But listen. I just have to say one thing." Ianto looked down nervously. Jack tilted his chin back up so he was looking directly into the Welshman's eyes. "You do not make it worse. Okay?"

"Don't we?"

"No. Believe me, if loving people really made it worse, we wouldn't be sitting here right now," Jack said bluntly. "I'm a very selfish person, Ianto Jones."

"Not as selfish as I am."

"Pretty sure that's not true."

"Pretty sure it is."

"All right then."

"All right."

"Well, as long as we've got that figured out." They looked at each other seriously for another moment before both of them laughed.

"Oi! What's taking you two so long?" Gwen called.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Coming," he shouted back. He took Ianto's hand and pulled him up, and together they faced the day.

The day was 5th July, 2009. It was the day before the world was torn apart.

* * *

 _And that's the end. Thanks for reading! I'd write a longer note but a) I'm exhausted and today was far too long and b) you don't wanna read it. Love you!_

 _~Clare_


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